JPH09171331A - Image forming device and photoreceptor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily obtain information on the initial characteristics of a new photoreceptor at the time of exchanging photoreceptors and to prevent the erroneous reading of the information later. SOLUTION: The information on the initial characteristics (a static charge characteristic, an exposing property, etc.), is formed as a toner image T on a photoreceptor drum 1, when it is shipped. When a new photoreceptor drum 1 is attached to a printer, the drum 1 is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow (a), the information of the toner image T is detected by a photocoupler 55 and the detection signal is inputted to a CPU 32. This CPU decodes the detection signal to obtain the initial characteristics of the photoreceptor, and excites the initialization of image forming conditions such as a potential by electrification, an exposure and a developing bias potential.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a photoconductor, and more particularly, to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming a toner image on the photoconductor and transferring the toner image onto a sheet and the apparatus. The present invention relates to a photoconductor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in electrophotographic copying machines and laser printers, various sensors and counters are provided in the apparatus.
Temperature, humidity, surface potential of the reference latent image formed on the photoconductor,
The density of the reference toner image, the number of times the photoreceptor is used, etc. are detected and fed back to the control of the image forming conditions (toner supply amount, charging potential, exposure amount, developing bias potential, etc.). By such control, a high quality image can be maintained for a long time.

By the way, the photoconductor is a consumable item and is replaced with a new one which has been used a certain number of times. The photoreceptor is checked for its initial characteristics such as charging characteristics, sensitivity and residual potential before the final manufacturing process or before shipment from the factory. The initial characteristics of the photoconductor have individual differences due to manufacturing conditions, etc.
Alternatively, specifications may be changed. Therefore, when the photoconductor is replaced, simply returning the image forming condition of the copying machine to the initial setting does not necessarily meet the initial characteristics having the individual difference of the new photoconductor.

Therefore, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1-312560,
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-16578, the initial characteristics of the photoconductor are displayed on the side surface (non-image forming area) of the photoconductor drum by a bar code, and the reading means in the copying machine reads the bar code information immediately after replacement. It is disclosed to feed back the control of the image forming condition.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, since the information displayed on the photosensitive drum remains as it is, the information is read again after the initial (unused) information and is erroneously read. It may be input to the control system as characteristic information. Further, a dedicated means for reading the initial characteristic information of the photosensitive drum is required.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is not only to obtain information on the initial characteristics of the photoconductor already checked at the time of replacement of the photoconductor, but also to initialize the image forming conditions optimally, as a matter of course. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which there is no risk of mistakenly reading the information regarding the initial characteristics attached to the later. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of reading or erasing information relating to initial characteristics attached to a photoconductor without the need for providing a dedicated reading means or erasing means. further,
Another object of the present invention is to provide a photoconductor in which information regarding initial characteristics can be easily added and easily erased.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, the photoreceptor according to the present invention is formed with a toner image on the image forming area with information relating to initial characteristics. The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the photoconductor, the reading unit that reads information from the toner image, the erasing unit that erases the toner image after the reading of the information by the reading unit, and the reading unit. And a control unit that controls the image forming operation based on the read information.

The charging characteristic and sensitivity of the photosensitive member are checked in the final manufacturing process or at the time of shipping, and these various characteristics are formed as a toner image on the image forming area. In the image forming apparatus equipped with such a photoreceptor, first, the reading unit reads information from the toner image, and then the erasing unit erases the toner image. Then, the control means sets the operation condition of the image forming element based on the read information and controls the image forming operation.

According to the present invention, since information on the initial characteristics which has already been checked is formed on the photoconductor as a toner image, the information can be easily obtained by reading the information. In addition, even when the specifications of the photoconductor are changed, the image forming conditions can be optimally set. In addition, since the toner image is erased after the reading is finished, there is no possibility that these information will be erroneously read later, and there is no possibility of being misused by another person.

Further, in the present invention, since the information regarding the initial characteristics is formed as a toner image on the image forming area of the photoconductor, the reference toner constituting the automatic image density control means usually provided in the image forming apparatus. The image density detecting sensor can be used also as the reading means, and the cleaning means for the residual toner on the photoconductor can also be used as the erasing means, and it is not necessary to install a dedicated reading means or erasing means.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of an image forming apparatus and a photoconductor according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Photoreceptor Inspecting Apparatus, See FIG. 1) First, an inspecting apparatus and an inspecting procedure for inspecting initial characteristics of a manufactured photoreceptor will be described. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a manufactured new photoconductor drum, which is detachably supported by a rotation device (not shown) controlled by a drive circuit 11, and is indicated by an arrow a.
It is driven to rotate at a constant speed in the direction. Around the photosensitive drum 1, a charger 12, a laser scanning optical system 14, a surface potential sensor 17, a developing device 20, a photo coupler 25, and an eraser lamp 27 are arranged.

A high voltage is applied to the charging charger 12 from the transformer 13, and an electric field is applied to the photoconductor to charge it to a desired potential. The laser scanning optical system 14 causes the laser oscillator 16 to oscillate by the driver 15 and exposes the photosensitive member with the emitted laser beam. The surface potential sensor 17 measures the surface potential (charge potential and attenuation potential due to exposure) of the photoconductor, and the measured value is generated by the detection circuit 18 as a predetermined detection signal. The developing device 20 is installed on a moving device 22 controlled by a drive circuit 23, and is brought into contact with or separated from the photosensitive drum 1 by the moving device 22. The contact position of the developing device 20 with respect to the photosensitive drum 1 is shown by a solid line in FIG. 1, and the separated position is shown by a dotted line. In addition, the photo coupler 25
Detects a pattern of the toner image T formed on the photosensitive drum 1 as described below, and this pattern detection signal is generated by the detection circuit 26 as a predetermined detection signal. The eraser lamp 27 is supplied with power from the power supply 28 and irradiates the photoconductor to erase the residual charges.

The drive circuits 11, 23, the transformer 13,
The driver 15 and the power supply 28 are controlled by the CPU 31. The detection signals from the detection circuits 18 and 26 are C
It is output to PU31.

Next, the procedure for inspecting the initial characteristics of the photoconductor by the above-mentioned inspection apparatus will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S10, the charging characteristic is measured. Regarding the charging characteristic, a predetermined voltage is applied from the transformer 13 to the charging charger 12, and the charging potential of the photoconductor is measured by the sensor 17. The charges on the photoconductor after the electric potential is measured are erased by the light irradiation from the eraser lamp 27. This inspection of the charging characteristics is performed by changing the voltage applied to the charging charger 12 to various values and repeating the measurement by the sensor 17. The measurement result is input to the CPU 31 via the detection circuit 18 and stored therein. Subsequently, in step S11, it is determined whether or not the charging characteristics satisfy the required performance,
If not satisfied, a warning is displayed in step S16 and the inspection is stopped.

Next, in step S12, the exposure (sensitivity) characteristic is measured. The exposure characteristic is that the photoconductor is first charged to a predetermined potential by the charging charger 12, the laser oscillator 16 is oscillated at a predetermined output, and the laser beam is emitted from the laser scanning optical system 14 onto the photoconductor to attenuate the photoconductor. The surface potential of is measured by the sensor 17. The charges on the photoconductor after the electric potential is measured are erased by the light irradiation from the eraser lamp 27. The detection of this exposure characteristic is performed by changing the output (exposure amount) of the laser oscillator 16 to various values and repeating the measurement by the sensor 17. The measurement result is input to the CPU 31 via the detection circuit 18 and stored therein. Succeedingly, in a step S13, it is determined whether or not the exposure characteristic satisfies the required performance. If the exposure characteristic is not satisfied, a warning is displayed in a step S15 and the inspection is finished.

If it is determined in both steps S11 and S13 that the performance is satisfactory, an information toner image is formed in step S14. That is, the CPU 31 converts the stored characteristics into bar code information, modulates and oscillates the laser oscillator 16 based on the bar code information on the photoconductor charged to a predetermined potential by the charging charger 12.
An electrostatic latent image of a bar code is formed on the photoconductor. On the other hand, the drive circuit 23 drives the moving device 22 to bring the developing device 20 into contact with the photosensitive drum 1, and a developing bias having a predetermined potential is applied to the developing sleeve 21 from a transformer (not shown) to develop the barcode latent image. To obtain a toner image T (see FIG. 3).

The toner image T is read by the photocoupler 25, and the read result is input to the CPU 31 to check whether the toner image T is formed in an accurate pattern as a bar code based on the initial characteristics of the photoconductor. You may.
When the information toner image T is formed, the photosensitive drum 1 is detached from the inspection device, packed, and shipped.

(Image Forming Apparatus, First Embodiment, See FIG. 4) Next, an image forming apparatus as a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus is configured as a printer that forms an image based on image data transferred from a host computer (not shown) or an original image reading apparatus, and the basic configuration for forming an image is well known. .

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a photosensitive drum which has its initial characteristics checked as described above and holds the characteristics as a toner image T which is converted into bar code information. The elements arranged around the photosensitive drum 1 are known elements, that is, the charging charger 42, the laser scanning optical system 44, the developing device 47, the transfer charger 51, the sheet separating charger along the rotation direction shown by the arrow a. 52, a photo coupler 55, a cleaner 57 for residual toner, and an eraser lamp 61 for residual charge.

A high voltage is applied to the charging charger 42 from the transformer 43. The laser optical system 44 modulates and oscillates the laser oscillator 46 based on the image data by the driver 45, and exposes the photosensitive member with the emitted laser beam. The developing device 47 is a driving circuit (not shown)
8 is rotationally driven, and at the same time, a developing bias is applied from the transformer 49 to the developing sleeve 48. A predetermined voltage is applied to the transfer charger 51 and the sheet separation charger 52 from a transformer (not shown).
The photocoupler 55 is for optically detecting the density of the reference toner image formed on the photoconductor for automatic image density control, and this detection value is generated as a detection signal by the detection circuit 56. In the cleaner 57, the blade 58 presses against the surface of the photoconductor drum 1 to scrape off the toner remaining on the photoconductor. The eraser lamp 61 is supplied with electric power from the power supply 62 and irradiates the photoconductor to erase the residual charges.

On the other hand, the sheets S are accommodated in an automatic paper feed cassette 65, and at the time of printing, they are fed one by one by a paper feed roller 66 to the right in FIG. 4, and conveyed to a transfer position via a timing roller 67. The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred. After that, the sheet S is sent to the fixing device 69 by the air suction belt 68 to fix the toner, and is discharged onto the tray 70.

The drive circuit 41 of the photosensitive drum 1, the transformers 43 and 49, the driver 45, and the power supply 62 are controlled by the CPU 32. Further, the CPU 32 also controls the sheet S conveyance system, the transformers of the chargers 51 and 52, and the like.
The detection signal from the detection circuit 56 is input to the CPU 32. Next, a control procedure executed when the photosensitive drum 1 is replaced with a new one will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, when the photosensitive drum 1 is shipped and unpacked, the toner image T (see FIG. 3) held on the photosensitive member is not disturbed by surrounding elements by the service person. Pay attention to the toner image T
Is set downward. Next, the service person sets the operation mode of the printer to the reading mode, and in step S20, the information on the initial characteristics of the photoconductor recorded as the toner image T is read. That is, when the photosensitive drum 1 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow a and the toner image T passes the detection position of the photocoupler 55, the photocoupler 5
5 detects a bar code pattern, and this detection signal is input to the CPU 32 via the detection circuit 56. The CPU 32 reads the initial characteristics of the photoconductor based on the input detection signal.

Next, in step S21, the image forming parameters used in the image forming so far are reset in the printer. The image forming parameters include the cumulative number of copies, the charging potential, the exposure amount, the developing bias potential, and the like. Next, in step S22, initial image forming parameters are set based on the initial characteristic information of the photoconductor read as described above. Next, in step S23, the toner image T is erased.
That is, when the toner image T reaches the cleaner 57 as the photosensitive drum 1 rotates, it is scraped off by the blade 58.

Thereafter, the printer executes the printing operation based on the initial image forming parameters set as described above. The image forming parameters are then updated in a predetermined procedure.

The toner image T includes not only the charging characteristics and the exposure characteristics, but also necessary information such as the type of the photosensitive member and the manufacturing lot number. These information are also read and used for control during printing. To be

FIG. 6 shows another example of the photoconductor inspection device, which is different from the inspection device shown in FIG. And its power supply 36. The toner image T formed as a bar code pattern by the heater 35 is assumed to be attached on the photoconductor. This can prevent the toner image T from being disturbed by vibration or air flow.

Incidentally, in FIG. 6, the other components are shown in FIG.
The inspection apparatus is the same as the inspection apparatus shown in FIG.

(Image Forming Apparatus, Second Embodiment, See FIG. 7) FIG. 7 shows an image forming apparatus as a second embodiment of the present invention. This device is similar to the printer shown in FIG.
The cleaner 57 can be brought into contact with and separated from the photoconductor drum 1 to enhance the reliability of information reading from the toner image T. The cleaner 57 is installed on the moving device 72 controlled by the drive circuit 73, and is movable between the solid line position and the dotted line position in FIG.

When reading the information of the toner image T, the cleaner 57 is retracted to the dotted line position, and the blade 58 is separated from the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. Therefore, the photosensitive drum 1
Even if the toner image T passes through the cleaner 57 by the rotation of, the toner image T is not erased. If the information of the toner image T cannot be read, the photoconductor drum 1 is rotated again to perform the reading process. If the reading is successful, the cleaner 57 is returned to the solid line position. As a result, the blade 58 comes into pressure contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and the toner image T is erased.

Incidentally, in FIG. 7, other components are shown in FIG.
The printer is the same as the printer shown in FIG.

(Other Embodiments) The image forming apparatus and the photoconductor according to the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be variously modified within the scope of the invention. For example, the information regarding the initial characteristics of the photoconductor can be created not only by the barcode pattern but also by using numbers, letters, symbols, lattices, and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a photoconductor inspection apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an inspection procedure by the photoconductor inspection device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a photosensitive drum after completion of inspection.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a printer that is a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an initial setting procedure by the printer.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another example of the photoconductor inspection apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a printer which is a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Photosensitive drum 32 ... CPU 55 ... Photo coupler 57 ... Cleaner

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A photoconductor on which information about initial characteristics is formed as a toner image on an image forming area, a reading unit for reading information from the toner image, and the toner image is erased after the information reading by the reading unit is completed. And an erasing unit for controlling the image forming operation based on the information read by the reading unit. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reading means also serves as a reference toner image density detecting sensor which constitutes an automatic image density controlling means. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the erasing unit also serves as a cleaning unit for cleaning the residual toner on the photoconductor. 4. A photoconductor used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, characterized in that information regarding initial characteristics is formed as a toner image on an image forming area.